Teenager critical after head-on bike smash

A TEENAGER is fighting for his life after slamming his bike head-first into a concrete lamppost.

Willum Webster fractured his skull and suffered internal bleeding in the freak accident, which friends say was caused by faulty brakes on his bike.

An ambulance rushed the 18-year-old to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary on Wednesday night and he was later transferred to the intensive care unit at the Western General Hospital.

His parents were at his bedside last night, where he remains in a critical condition.

The talented student mechanic was out cycling with friends in the capital’s Restalrig Road South.Willum’s close pal Jamal Hawk,16, looked on helplessly as his friend ploughed head-on into the lamppost after losing control.

He said: “I was just behind him when it happened. I heard something snap, maybe it was his breaks.

“He wobbled and lost control then went face-first onto the lamppost.

“He must have been going 40 or 45mph – straight into the post.

“His legs where wrapped around the lamppost as well because he’d been going that fast.

“He was really bleeding from the face, his head and ear were bleeding too – from the inside.

“There was blood everywhere.

“We called an ambulance straight away – but they thought we were kidding at first. They took about eight minutes to get here – but it felt like half an hour.

“This guy who was jogging past took his t-shirt off and wrapped it around his head to try and stop the bleeding.

“I thought he was going to die.”

Intensive Care

Willum – who is 6ft 4” – was initially taken to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary but later transferred to an intensive care unit at the Western General where a neurologist was waiting to treat him.

His shocked step-dad Kenny and mum Davina stayed by his bedside until the early hours of the morning.

Kenny, 44, said: “I can’t really believe what’s happened. When I first heard I didn’t think it was serious but when the boys said they’d called an ambulance we knew it was bad.

“Davina was running down the street as the ambulance shot past her on the way to the hospital.

“My mum drove me up to the hospital last night and I stayed until about 2am. Davina stayed until 4am this morning – all of the family are really pulling together.

Davina added: “His body is a bit of a mess; it’s all tubes and everything. I asked him to fling that bike away and I was going to get him a new one.

Choking

“He’s such a big lad, you never think that anything can harm him.

“I was cuddling and kissing him. I was telling him not to worry and he wasn’t in trouble – and his eye opened.

“He started choking on the tube in his mouth and I had to leave the room as these six doctors came in.”

His parents added that Willum – known as Wildo to his friends – had just graduated from his three-year mechanic course at Stevenson College with unbeatable grades.

Kenny said: “He’s looking for a job at the moment but there just aren’t any. He’s done really well with his course at college – he got top results in his exams.

“He can take anything apart and fix it – he even built his own bike from scratch.

“He’s a really good lad. He’s quiet but he’s got a really close group of friends and a really lovely girlfriend.

Top Grades

“He likes his music, computer games and movies.”

His mother added: “He’s such a good lad – he would help you if you got your bag snatched or if he saw someone struggling to carry something – he’s that kind of boy.

“He was just relaxing after finishing his three-year course – he’s done so well. He’s even talking about going back to college.

“We’re just hoping that he’ll pull through OK.”

An ambulance spokesperson confirmed they had taken an 18 year-old to hospital at 8pm on Wednesday.